Donors Brighten Childrens` Holiday

They are children in trouble. But thanks to the generosity of Palm Beach County people who care, this holiday season may be one of the happiest they have ever known.

The children have horrible stories to tell. Tales of beatings, sexual abuse, drug addiction and squalid living conditions are too common.

Throughout December, the Sun-Sentinel has brought these stories to its readers and asked them to help in its Sun-Sentinel Santa series.

The response was overwhelming. Residents of Palm Beach and Broward counties dug into their wallets and donated $50,725 to help those children and others.

Among the donors was the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Boca Raton, which donated $1,000 to the fund.

``We were delighted to hear of your efforts to make Christmas a bit brighter for some children whose prospects would be bleak if it were not for caring people such as you,`` wrote H. Arthur Stephenson, senior pastor of the church.

There were $1,000 donations from both groups and individuals. But they were far outnumbered by checks for $5, $10 or $20. One person stuffed a $1 bill into an envelope and mailed it to the fund.

The money will be used brighten the lives of needy children by buying them things state programs don`t pay for.

``It`s things like summer camp and eyeglasses. It will enable us to give them some of the things that kids in normal families take for granted,`` said Jon Grocki, volunteer services coordinator with the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

One organization, Fair Oaks Hospital at Boca/Delray, did more.

The hospital, which specializes in the treatment of substance abuse, has offered a 16-year-old drug addict a free detoxification program and $3,600 toward her long-term care.

The girl, called ``Judy`` in the story, has been on drugs since age 13. Her mother had been desperately trying to raise money to enroll her in a treatment center.

Fair Oaks Administrator Roy Chernoff said he read the story about Judy and was moved by it.

``I said, `We can really help this girl. Why don`t we do it?` This is not something we can do for everybody, but it is Christmas,`` Chernoff said.

Judy`s mother said that finding help for Judy was a long road.

``I`m shocked. I don`t know what to say,`` Judy`s mother said upon learning of the donation. ``We tried so hard to raise the money.``

Chernoff said Judy`s mother`s willingness to face up to her daughter`s problems was one of the things which persuaded him to help the girl.

``This has to be something where the family works with the hospital,`` he said.

Grocki of HRS said he was pleased by the success of the fund-raising drive.

``It was more successful than any of us here had hoped,`` he said.

People who operate foster homes -- in which many of the children profiled in the series live -- get a flat rate from the state. The foster parents care for the children, but many can`t afford luxuries for them because they have families of their own, Grocki said.

Because money donated to the fund is distributed by state workers, there are no administrative costs.

``If someone writes us a check for $100, $100 goes to the children,`` Grocki said.

Louise Strawcutter, an HRS social worker who worked with many of the children profiled in the series, said she was pleased that the community showed it cared.

``In almost all cases, we were able to give the children the one thing they really want just because we have the resources,`` she said. ``For a lot of these children, this will be the happiest Christmas they`ve ever had.``